Director Steven Soderbergh has branded Disney’s decision to scrap plans for his Star Wars movie The Hunt for Ben Solo as “insane”, after more than two years of “free work” from himself and actor Adam Driver.
The revelation that Lucasfilm had been developing a Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker sequel starring Kylo Ren/Ben Solo was first discussed last year by Driver, to excitement but then immediate dismay from fans who couldn’t believe the idea had been abandoned. It is the only completed script to date that Disney has turned down for a Lucasfilm project.
Last month, the outgoing Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy also aired her frustrations with the project’s demise, and said the movie’s script had been “great.” In a comment that some took as a swipe at Disney management’s hesitation, Kennedy also said: “Anything’s a possibility if somebody’s willing to take a risk.”
Now, Soderbergh — the director of Ocean’s Eleven and Contagion — has commented further on the project’s cancellation, and told BKMag that “it was no surprise that she [Kennedy] was frustrated.”
“We were all frustrated,” Soderbergh said. “You know, that was two and a half years of free work for me and Adam and [screenwriter] Rebecca Blunt. When Adam and I discussed him talking about it publicly, I said, ‘Look, do not editorialize or speculate about the why. Just say what happened, because all we know is what happened.’
“The stated reason was ‘We don’t think Ben Solo could be alive,'” he continued. “And that was all we were told. And so there’s nothing to do about it, you know, except move on.
“And as I posted, I’d kind of made the movie in my head, and just felt bad that nobody else was going to get to see it. I thought the conversation was strictly going to be a practical one — where they go, what is this going to cost? And I had a really good answer for that. But it never even got to that point. It’s insane. We’re all very disappointed.”
Ever since the project’s death has been made public, superfans of the Star Wars sequels have come out in full force, desperate to see the story of Han and Leia’s son come to life, even going as far as to fly “Save The Hunt for Ben Solo” banners over Walt Disney Studios in California.
Driver played Ben Solo/Kylo Ren throughout Lucasfilm’s Sequel Trilogy, with his final appearance in 2019’s divisive The Rise of Skywalker. “I always was interested in doing another Star Wars,” Driver said previously. “I always said: with a great director and a great story, I’d be there in a second. I loved that character and loved playing him.”
But while Lucasfilm “loved the idea,” according to Driver, and “totally understood our angle and why we were doing it,” it’s believed that both Disney CEO Bob Iger and co-chairman Alan Bergman were against the pitch moving forward. Still, with Iger now following Kennedy out the door, perhaps there’s a new hope in fresh leadership?
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
